Enthusiasm Mushrooms in Jamaica

JAMAICA –third-largest island nation in the Caribbean – may conjure up exotic tropical images as a vacation destination for some, but few realize the current spiritual needs of this nation. Powerful South American drug cartels have used Jamaica as a transfer point for cocaine going to the U.S., fueling violence and making Jamaica fourth in the world for murders per capita. A large, very poor underclass has little exposure to the gospel.

Before World Missionary Press was ever envisioned, co-founder Watson Goodman’s parents – who came to Christ as adults – served as missionaries in Jamaica for six years after their seven children were grown. Over the years WMP has been providing Scripture booklets steadily through WMP’s national coordinator Douglas R.

Last September, Dr. Robert B. – missionary based in Wilmore, Kentucky – picked up boxes of Scripture booklets he had requested for his class on evangelism and church growth at Caribbean Wesleyan College in Jamaica. Due to a mix-up, the boxes he picked up contained duplicates of some titles and not enough of others.  But a pastor friend was delighted to use the duplicates for his church’s outreach to university students and street people, and when he communicated directly with Douglas about the shortfall, a partnership soon solidified.

Demand skyrocketed for WMP Scripture booklets, which proved to be the perfect ammo for the students’ weekly assignment to hand out a certain number of booklets and report on their experiences. As they learned how to use the booklets, students became very excited about the responses they saw and how blessed they felt. Reports they submitted were thrilling: “It is a great feeling. People keep asking me for more. They are hungry for the Word. This makes me committed to give out booklets…. It is a joy to share literature as well as the gospel message and testimony to people who are thirsty for God. I am getting back responses from them; [it] makes me feel the Holy Spirit has been working through me.”

An older student, an elementary principal, was filled with joy to observe how “God was doing wonderful things” through her desire to distribute booklets. “Some told me that they use their lunch hour break to read,” she wrote, “while some say that they read at home with their families. This week I gave out 15 booklets. The feedback that I get is overwhelming. People need God. They are hungry for the Word.”

Alrick, a third-year student, was excited about his outing with booklets. People were approaching him, he said, asking if they could have a booklet also. He would share his testimony, tell them how they could know God, and then hand them a How to Know God booklet. Alrick was so excited that he challenged the students in the dorm to go out that weekend! Dr. Robert emailed, “I am grateful, but I could see my stock of booklets would soon be gone.”

News of that weekend outreach led several people from the big mother church on campus to beg Alrick for some also, so he divided his booklets with them. Dr. Robert emailed, “This morning the college president visited me and saw the boxes of booklets. Since he also pastors one of our oldest and largest churches in the area, he asked why I had not given himbooklets???”

Many students, pastors themselves, began to use WMP booklets for Bible studies in their own churches. As other pastors learned of their supply, they arrived to request some. A youth group of 30, and another of 15, began to study A Bible Study on John.Dr. Robert expressed his hope that the college could become a warehouse to supply WMP booklets to the 83 Wesleyan churches in three districts.

A Christian taxi driver, who plays gospel music to open a door for witness, is now able to hand his passengers a booklet before they leave. On December 2, Dr. Robert informed us that this brother “took most of my remaining supply yesterday.” He told of how Dawn, a lady operating a store on Bath Road, also wanted more. “I took her a batch this morning, and she started handing out to customers while we were there.” Even his barber, Andrew, asked for booklets to give out to his customers!

On December 15, Dr. Robert reported receiving replenishments of four boxes “just in time,” as he was completely out of materials for both students and pastors. He summarized what God had done: “The evangelism class, using weekly Scripture booklets this semester, has inspired the staff and now pastors to give out God’s Word. As I write this, our librarian just told me that the reports of the students inspired her, as Sunday School Superintendent, to challenge her Sunday school classes to give out a number of booklets weekly.”

He and his wife Kay had recently ministered in a church up in the mountains, where the pastor is training his people how to evangelize and will need a supply of booklets. The president of the college needs booklets as his youth are going out weekly to evangelize their community. The academic dean planned to begin a house-to-house visitation in January on each street, and then hold a series of open-air services on each street, with the goal to ultimately cover the whole community. Thus, in a matter of months, after one mixed-up order, many lives have already felt the worth of God’s Word and been mobilized by the prompting of God’s Spirit to share it. More literature needs to be on its way!

   God is also at work in Cuba! To read this story and updates on Puerto Rico, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Trinidad/Tobago, go to www.wmpress.org/caribbean.shtml or scan the QR code.

   [You can help Christians in the Caribbean reach people hungry for God’s Word. Your gift of $20 provides for about 500 Scripture booklets; $100 helps to supply 2,500 booklets.]

Grateful Quotes

Sharing God’s Word in China

“[I am] a brother born in Cameroon, but living in China. You sent me some Christian literature to be shared here in China. [Six boxes were sent in May, 2012.]

“By the grace of God we shared all the copies of the French and Arabic New Testaments you gave us. We also shared almost all the [Bible studies] of John and The Way to Godbooklets. I bless the name of the Lord for my Chinese friend, George, who came to me asking my help to teach him French. Later, I gave him a copy of the WMP French New Testament. By the time he left the city where we used to meet, he was ready to get baptized. He was faithful to the Bible study meeting and always on time.

“Praise the Lord for our Muslim friends who received a copy of the WMP Arabic NT. Once a month with other brethren we invite our Muslim friends for a friendship meal and [share] the gospel with them. We bless the name of the Lord for Mohamed, who has been faithful to join our meeting since May, 2014.

“Here in China we use outing activities to attract our Chinese friends and share the gospel. After a volleyball match in 2013 with Chinese friends of W— University of Technology, we performed a Christian drama showing how God loves human beings and sent His Son Jesus Christ to save them. The drama was so powerful we had the chance at the end to explain the message of the drama. We had WMP booklets available for those who wanted a copy.

“We also invite friends from all over the world to movie nights at our church and share WMP booklets. We bless the Lord for those who gave their lives to Jesus after the altar call.”

-Thierry B., China

Meet the Team

Devon C., Bindery Operator

Part of my childhood was spent here in New Paris, Indiana. My father owned a gas station/garage in the 1980s and did some work for WMP, including snow plowing. I joined the staff November 18, 2013, because I wanted to serve the Lord every day with fellow believers, putting forth the Word of God. I work mostly as a bindery operator; however I also spend time on OSHA compliance, shipping, and construction-related issues. I had no prior experience in this field, but God has blessed me with abilities I didn’t know I had.

My favorite part of working at WMP is that prayer is the focus of everything: funding for the monthly budget and special needs; all the volunteers that come daily to do their part to spread God’s Word – what an amazing thing! Plus, to be able to go to a chapel service every day to pray, worship, and hear God’s Word is such a blessing. What touches my heart the most is when we gather to pray at the open doors of a container full of Scripture booklets ready to be shipped to a far-off destination, knowing that without our heavenly Father, none of this would be possible.

My hobbies are spending time with my wife, all things nature, and our ever-expanding gardens. My wife and I are busy at our church doing whatever is needed. We also enjoy doing small drywall/painting jobs for people who can’t afford it. I have three grown stepchildren.

My reliance on the LORD is more important than ever in the challenges of learning new equipment. The new Palamides bundler/stacker, connected to a faster replacement bindery, enables us to do amazing things with very few people. Being able to do amazing things in the name of JESUS CHRIST multiplies my desire to give HIM my all, praise HIM for what HE is doing through all of us, and pray to HIM without ceasing. I cannot imagine a better or more fulfilling job than this. Our HEAVENLY FATHER has blessed us beyond measure with this equipment. To GOD be all the glory!!

WMP Partners Around the World

Alan B., Canada

Through the personal attention of Alan B., pallets of Scripture booklets travel from WMP to Canada, where they are included in the shipments of several international ministries going to the Philippines, Ghana, Ukraine, Nigeria, Congo, and other nations.

WMP: Alan, when did you first become acquainted with World Missionary Press?

Alan: In 2001 I started meeting daily with a local pastor for early morning prayer. The Lord began to burden our hearts for the salvation of souls in the nations of the world. From this foundation of prayer in a small church in rural Nova Scotia, Canada, through the wonderful provision of material from World Missionary Press, 4,750,000 Scripture booklets have been distributed in more than 80 nations.

“This was the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:23).

WMP: How are the Scripture booklets distributed?

Alan: Different missionary agencies have taken booklets on short-term mission trips for distribution in the countries they visited. Often various members of our local church would pick up boxes of booklets sent to us, and take them home for prayer before they were sent on their way. As the requests increased, pallets of booklets were sent from WMP and put on containers, which were shipped overseas.

WMP: Have you seen the effectiveness of the Scripture booklets?

Alan: I have had the privilege of travelling to many nations and have seen firsthand the hunger for the Word of God. As we arrived in Mexico, before we left the airport in Mexico City, an individual came to Christ. One lady I gave a booklet to simply started reading it from cover to cover. Within two weeks more than 90 individuals were led to Christ in parks, coffee shops, etc. In Colombia we often distributed booklets on buses. People reached out their hands to us for copies. Many times people were led to the Lord on the buses.

Recently I was doing evangelism on the streets in Lima, Peru. On one occasion I talked to a man who sold sweets and snacks to people on buses and offered him The Way to God. Through a translator I learned that a copy of this booklet had been given to him the day before! In further questioning, I discovered that he had read it through from cover to cover but had not prayed to get right with God and for his sins to be cleansed. The translator led him in prayer, and immediately afterwards his eyes watered and his face simply beamed with delight!

WMP: How have Scripture booklets from WMP impacted the churches?

Alan: I have been continually challenged as I have learned of the hunger of [Christians] to receive WMP gospel booklets [for ministry]. One agency ships boxes of booklets to a resource center in the Philippine Islands, where 480 churches have been registered. Pastors and Sunday school teachers often travel eight hours by bus, walking, or on scooters to the center to pick up Scripture booklets, coloring books, and study books for distribution. With such a shortage of material for Sunday schools, frequently the pictures in the coloring books are traced by hand and then distributed to other churches.

House groups are being started simply by the use of one booklet. An individual invites friends along, and they hear the gospel as it is read from this one booklet. Then this booklet becomes the study material for the house group. Sometimes the house group becomes a church through one booklet!! To Him alone be all the glory, honor, and praise. I am truly grateful to the Lord for allowing me to be a small part of this worldwide ministry of distributing the Word of God.

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