So much is happening for the Kingdom around the world.  Here are just a few stories:

Ethiopia:

In 2009, Ethiopian Campus Crusade staff organized a country-wide conference for university students which had one single goal:  help train hundreds of students to be confident in sharing Jesus with their friends.  They anticipated several hundred students to attend but in the end over 7,000 students came from all over Ethiopia.  Now they are more confident and equipped to share Jesus.

Recently we heard another story of four students in Ethiopia who prayed and fasted – asking the Lord to draw people to Himself in a specific village where there were no known believers.  Over half of Ethiopia is steeped in tradition, and it is quite unpopular in some villages to talk about Jesus.  The students entered the village and began to talk to people about Christ.  After some time, an unfriendly crowd began to gather around them and literally threw stones at them.  Slightly injured, all four students escaped to a neighboring village, where they had an all night prayer session.  The next day they felt the Lord prompt them to return to the hostile village, where they were quickly arrested and put in prison.  We don’t have many details about what happened in prison – although we imagine prison in Ethiopia is not a pleasant experience – yet we heard that the students prayed with guards and inmates and shared their testimony.  After a few days they were released and some villagers kindly approached them and asked to hear more about Jesus.

Asia:

In related news we’ve heard several other reports of God moving indigenous believers in “closed” countries to take extreme measures to share the gospel – even mobilizing them to minister cross culturally.  An underground church in one Asian country has serious plans to send 300 of their own members on long term mission trips to the Middle East.  Other African countries, like Ethiopia, have plans to send missionaries to North Africa and the Middle East.  It is not difficult for us to believe that the Lord will soon reach the 10-40 Window through cross cultural missionaries who originate from closed or oppressed countries.  Praise God!  Please pray with us to this end.

It’s because of you and your partnership that we are able to serve and equip God’s unique servants like these people mentioned.  Thank you!!