Naomi – Page 8 – The GoodSeed Blog

Friendship with neighbours blossoms into opportunities

When the Lord brings unsaved people into our lives, it is sometimes difficult to know when is the right time to share the gospel. This is when we must be prayerfully sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s direction. At times, it seems the Lord asks us to wait, patiently attuned to his timing. This is what the Martins* learned as they desired to minister to their new neighbours.

Bob* remembers clearly when Jessica and Chris moved in across the street a few years ago. The young couple had invited their friends and new neighbours to an open house. Bob and his wife, Martha, who view every relationship as a potential for blessing others with Christ, saw this occasion as a good opportunity to establish a relationship with these newcomers to their community.

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My grandkids actually paid attention!

Reading a book vs electronic entertainment

Computers, televisions, video games and smart phones monopolize children’s attention these days. So accustomed are they to the allure of a glowing screen that one wonders if something as simple—something as “old fashioned”—as a book can even hold a child’s attention?

We have found that, time and again, there is still nothing quite like a parent, grandparent, or other trusted adult sitting down, opening the pages of a book and reading aloud. Even in this digital age, young imaginations are swept along into a good story. Reading is still a captivating and highly effective way for children to learn.

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Time was running out

time running out Recently, Nora* sent us an email. It began with:

“Hi there. One of your staff members visited us some time ago and left behind some of the GoodSeed resources so we could purchase them. I bought a copy of The Lamb to help me minister to my sister-in-law.”

Nora’s sister-in-law, Lucy,* knew very little about the Bible’s message because of a mental disability. At 63 years of age, without the ability to read or learn most things for herself, her childlike mind had kept her seemingly isolated from this most essential message. Nora had struggled to think of a way to reach out to this precious family member.

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Three churches reach their communities

Holidays are excellent times for reaching out to a community. Many churches do this through concerts, productions and other special events. But those occasions are dependent upon members of the community being willing to darken the doorway of a church, and often, many aren’t willing.

Some time back, we received a report about three churches who wished to bless their communities in a practical way by providing them with a clear gospel presentation. We want to share their story so others might be inspired to bless their communities in a similar fashion.

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Caring for Mexican seasonal farmworkers in Michigan

Girls reading The Lamb

Every year, over 49,000 seasonal farmworkers and their families make their way north from Mexico to Michigan’s fertile fields and orchards for the summer and fall harvest. Michigan Migrant Ministries (MMM) shows the love of Jesus Christ to these guests who visit their state. They give gifts, conduct bible classes in Spanish and English, do summer school programs and day camps for the children, and have regular get-togethers for fellowship.

The approach of MMM is similar to how the Israelites welcomed and cared for sojourner families among them. They taught them about the Lord from Scripture:

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Christ becomes real to a Chinese atheist

This is Lien’s testimony which was originally published in her church’s newsletter. We have edited it for brevity.

The Bible says that God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:4-5 NKJV). My name is Lien,* and up until just a few years ago, this verse made no sense to me as a young Chinese atheist.

Growing up in China without God

I grew up in Beijing, one of the biggest and busiest cities in the world. I had seen people going into temples and giving money to idols, wishing for good fortune. I had grown tired of people saying, “Be good” so that we could come back in the next life with good fortune. I had also heard about western religions from movies and books. These left me with the general impression that only good people can go to Heaven. I considered religion to be nothing more than a man-created tool to manage society and to advocate for morality. At the time, I did not consider the more important question, namely, what is morality derived from?

I also thought that religious people were bribing their way into Heaven by giving money to the poor people, doing good works and, in some cases, not eating meat or getting married. This kind of thinking never made sense to me. None of my family members were religious and so I did not grow up believing that there was a God.

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Panama: Reconnecting and sharing the gospel

Lavonne-Naso-kids — Lavonne reads *El Cordero* (The Lamb in Spanish) to a very attentive audience in Panama.

One of our GoodSeed staff couples, Simon and Lavonne, were missionaries in Panama for 17 years before returning to the USA where they now continue ministry at the GoodSeed office in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho.

Recently, after being gone from Panama for more than a year, they had an opportunity to go back for a visit to reconnect with many of their dear friends in a remote village as well as in the city. In preparation for their trip, they packed a “Be Ready” suitcase full of GoodSeed resources that explained the Bible’s message clearly. Among the books was a copy of All that the Prophets have Spoken in Arabic to be given to their friends who own the hotel where they often stayed. For the Chinese shopkeeper where they used to buy their groceries, they had The Stranger in Mandarin. Also included in their suitcase were several copies of El Forastero (The Stranger book in Spanish) and El Cordero (The Lamb book in Spanish).

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Are believers judged for their sins?

Sasha* had been struggling for quite some time with an overwhelming sense of uncertainty. He sought help from, Alex,* a counsellor. As they talked, it didn’t take long for Alex to realize that, although Sasha said that he believed in Jesus for salvation, he was lacking a solid biblical foundation with which to navigate through his trials.

Alex prayerfully began guiding Sasha through The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus because he thought it would be helpful for Sasha to have a better understanding of the Bible’s message from creation to the cross.

Everything was going well until one day, near the end of the study, on page 274 of Chapter 15, Sasha read these words aloud:

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Photo-tour: before, during, after Idaho renovations

We’ve been needing to renovate our Idaho office for the longest time, but because each of us were juggling multiple projects, this task had been repeatedly pushed to the bottom of our to-do list. However, we were finally able to coordinate our schedules and spent this month finishing up the renovations.

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“The Lamb” for my father-in-law

Aileen’s* father-in-law, George, had been in a nursing home for some time. As his health progressively failed, the time came when Aileen learned that he didn’t have much longer to live. Though her family had prayed for George’s salvation for many years, he had never been open to the gospel. Aileen prayerfully decided to take a copy of The Lamb with her as she went to visit him.

Day after day, as Aileen sat at George’s bedside, she read the book aloud. He listened intently and gazed at the colourful pictures through rheumy eyes. Carefully he pondered the questions at the end of each chapter and answered them quietly but clearly. By the end, Aileen watched as George softened to the message of hope offered in this simple book, and she was certain he believed. What a relief to know her father-in-law was saved! At times George was too sleepy or weak to interact, so she spent that time visiting other residents, reading The Lamb to them.

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